1. My honest opinion is that they work hard. They aren’t any smarter then we are. The Asian friends that I new while in high school studied harder and longer then I did. Thus they did better in school. It wasn’t a big difference but it meant the difference between a B and an A. Now that two of my roommates are from China that opinion hasn’t really changed. Some study harder then others but on a case-to-case basis, they study harder then their American counterparts.
2. Some of the impressions I get from non-Americans is the idea that we are ignorant. We give to the rest of the world a sort of self-righteous feeling that has crossed over into arrogances.
3. We encourage more indivuals speaking on ideas while they have a more rigid sonority structure. Their seniority structure would make it easier to organize ideas and who to pass ideas along to. Ours might be a little more chaotic.
4. I would not fear anything. It is one the places I want to travel most. To prepare I would learn some key phrases, such as “Thank You” “Embassy” and “Help.” I would also bring a small dictionary. Since I have already consumed a lot of Asian media, I don’t think I would need to learn too much on the cultural side.
I agree with you in saying that it does seem that Asians do work harder.
ReplyDeleteWhile it wouldn't be quite right to say that Asians think are Americans are ignorant, they tend to think that Americans do put in less effort when it comes to getting things done. In Asian society, people are generally expected to defer to their elders and it is a more rigid sort of structure.
Working in Asia does not seem to be too challenging, provided that you have a brief familiarity with their social customs and traditions.
ENGR 103
Again, I think there are exceptions to both opinions. A person's work ethic varies on what they feel in life is important and that is where the different opinions on the two cultures are formed. I think it is hard to define what similar attribute drives individuals in the same way in a certain culture to do things. There is also a degree to which showing no fear is good, but also understanding that in some cases, from fear comes learning. Fearing silly things we have no control over is a waste of energy, but fear of possibly one’s safety will be what keeps one safe. I think there is a lot to learn on the cultural side. The daily interaction between people in Asia is significantly different than America. There are certain cultural norms that are ok in America but are horrifically not accepted in Asia. Simple things like that are something one must be aware of before immersing themselves into a new environment.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that Asian cultures tend to study and work harder than their American counterparts. However, there are exceptions to all general stereotypes but in general I feel that Asian students are more academically driven. In terms of their view on Americans, I think pop culture gives them a bad impression of America as a whole and this is probably where all of the negative stereotypes about Americans come from. I do think that some Asian cultures, especially Japan, are efficient and productive based on their seniority structure. The pros to this are the experience and knowledge that an older engineer can bring to the table. However, the cons to this type of structure could be a lack of knowledge for what younger generations of people are looking for in a product or some insights from younger workers on how to make things more suitable the changing times. (ENGR 103)
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